Being chosen as the site for a new campus of the Medical College of Wisconsin was an important step for Wausau in developing what could be a new growth industry here: education.

Written by

Keene Winters
Wausau City Council member

We have all heard that getting a good education is the key to personal success in life and that having an educated workforce can support good jobs. However, the relationship between education and the local economy can be much richer.

In early 2013, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance announced the results of an analysis of the Wisconsin job market showing that Wisconsin lagged other states in new business starts. That's a problem. According to a Kauffman Foundation study, the majority of net new jobs created in the American economy come from businesses under five years old.